Title: Acid Reflux Disease in Infants Word Count: 455 Summary: Some medical conditions have no respect for

age; the young or the old, and Acid Reflux, also known in medical terms as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) se ems to be one of them. Keywords: acid reflux Article Body: The lower end of the esophagus is protected by a valve called the Lower Esophage al sphincter (LES). This valve opens to allow food from the esophagus into the s tomach and then closes up to protect the esophagus from the acid content of the stomach. Several conditions can compromise this valve, allowing gastric content into the esophagus. As in adults, infants also suffer from heartburn on occasion s. This is mainly attributed to the fact that infants consume essentially liquid and soft foods, which tend to be rich in diary proteins. The most unfortunate p art of infant acid reflux disease is that, unlike in adults, it is very difficul t to determine if an infant has developed chronic gastroesophageal reflux diseas e. An infant is most unlikely to be able to complain of heartburn or any symptom s of the disease. Acid reflux in infants is always as a result of a lot of factors, however, most of the causative factors tend to be aggravated by the fact that infants, spend a great deal of their days lying on their back or in a supine position and consum e mostly liquid food. The tendency for liquid food to cause regurgitation, when combined with the pressure lying in a supine position exerts on the lower esopha geal sphincter (LES) constitutes a greater risk of reflux acid incidence in infa nts. The incidence, however, could also be attributed to some other factors like , the anatomy of the infant's stomach, improper or incomplete development of the lower esophageal sphincter during fetal growth, poor diet, overweight, food all ergies and a host of other factors. Because infants, unlike adults, cannot complain of symptoms or explain how feel, it is always very difficult to know when an infant is suffering from reflux. The best bet is to consult a pediatrician. Nevertheless, there are and clues that you may look out for in your infant that could suggest the nce of the disease. Some of these clues are: Sleeping problems Coughing Weight loss Lack of appetite Spitting up frequently Apnea Unusual irritability Chest pain Sore throat Bad breath Crying they acid signs prese

Acid reflux disease can also cause respiratory problems including pneumonia, str ictures and ulcerations on the esophageal wall, and malnourishment. Although, th

ese signs don't always mean your infant is suffering from acid reflux disease, b ut they constitute a good enough reason to go see your pediatrician. Of course, there are a few things you could do to help your child avoid acid ref lux. Simple things like changing the child's food, keeping him/her upright for s ome time, especially after eating, keeping a eye on the child for any sign of ch est pain or heartburn and a host of others. This extra attention could be all yo ur child really needs.